Dry masonry



N5; 30, 1937. E. HONIGMANN ET AL 2,100,958

DRY MASONRY Filed April s, 1957 Fig. l. 5 2.

5L jd n /9 I6 I INVENTORS ERICH HONIGMANN BY FRIEDRICH BRUCKMAYEH ATTORNEYS.

. STRUCTURES Patented Nov. 30, 1937 UNITED STATES Search Room PATENT OFFICE DRY MASONRY Austria Application April 5, 1937, Serial No. 135,095

13 Claims.

This invention relates to dry masonry and particularly to an improved and very practical methd of building such masonry.

The main object which we desire to attain by means of our invention is to construct masonry by laying up the courses mainly composing the same in dry form without using the conventional mortar, and as a result, obtain a masonry structure possessing very great compressive strength and considerable shearing strength, as well as other desirable characteristics.

Another object of our invention is to produce dry masonry of the character indicated which saves both time and labor as well as being very convenient and clean to construct, without in any way sacrificing the desirable features which should be present in good masonry structures.

It is a prominent object to introduce an intermediate joint material having special beneficial characteristics, between the adjacent tiers of bricks or blocks intended mainly to compose the masonry involved, the joint material being selected to have greater tensile strength and elasticity than any ordinary form of mortar.

A further object is to introduce a joint material for use in this type of masonry, which is capable of being used and applied in several forms, such as strips, wires, netting, slabs, and the like.

Various other objects and certain advantages which inhere in the nature, application and forms of the invention, will be more fully detailed as the specification proceeds.

The invention is an improvement over the dry masonry described in our Patent No. 2,056,937 granted October 13, 1936.

In order to make the features of our invention more readily grasped and facilitate explanation I thereof, the accompanying drawing is now referred to and forms part hereof.

Thus, Fig. 1 is a typical section of a masonry structure such as a wall constructed according to the present invention and embodying its main features in practical form.

Fig. 2 is a section of a modification.

Fig. 3 is a section of a practical form of joint material according to the invention.

Fig. 4 shows a modification in a similar section.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a further modification in the form of the joint material.

Fig. 6 is a section of the same on line 6-6 in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of yet another modification of the joint material, while Fig. 8 is a section of the same material on line 8-8 in Fig. 7.

Throughout the foregoing figures, the same reference numerals indicate the same or like parts.

In' our mentioned patent, certain dry masonry construction was described in which intermediate joint material preferably consisting of petrified wood wool was used.

However, we have now discovered that intermediate joint material may be given improved and different forms and may also consist of or include various special materials. The principle which we now employ is that the joint material is given such form and is of such nature and construction that it will have a very definite tensile strength in its own plane or longitudinally but is at least to some extent compressible in the direction of loading. After due investigation, it was found that the compression of the joint material should be sharply limited to a small value for several reasons, but is preferably present to a recognizable extent in order that the joint material shall compensate for surface inequalities of the bricks or other construction units.

Reverting again to the drawing, the masonry structure shown in Fig. l discloses the tiers or courses I--l of bricks or blocks 2, 2, etc., which have horizontal layers of intermediate joint material 3, 3 inserted between them, and may, if desired, also be coated on the outside with cement or stucco at 4 and 5 or with any other desirable surface material. The surface coating just mentioned can be dispensed with in many cases.

The joint material is preferably laid horizontally or in any position between brick courses which will receive the load of the masonry and, as already mentioned, may be at least slightly compressible under load to fill or engage in the inequalities of the bricks and particularly accommodate itself to the roughness of the same so as to intimately engage with the surfaces thereof and frictionally grip or hold said bricks in place. The tensile strength, particularly along the tiers, is intended to be very considerable so that the masonry structure will resist buckling, thus ensuring a tremendously strong structure.

This joint material may consist of or at least include in its structure metal wires, strips, sheets, rods, twisted square rods, filaments or netting of wire, or animal fibres including hair, skin strips 0. and catgut, or even asbestos and mmeral wool, except perhaps simr materials available for the same are jute and hemp, either in fibre or twisted form, paper in twisted strips or lengths, and thin wood strips, veneer or panels.

The mentioned joint material may be made in the form of strips, wires, wire mesh, moulded slabs with or without depressions, grooves, channels or openings. For example, in Fig. 2, the joint material is illustrated at 6,6 as introduced between the bricks, stones or blocks 1,1 taking the form of narrow round or square strips or cords of the above mentioned materials, particularly hemp, jute or twisted paper, or hair, catgut,

etc., or even asbestos and mineral wool, etc.

These strips or cords are laid parallel with the length of the wall, and due to their contact with the stones only at limited points, said strips under compression take up and fit the inequalities of the stones, but present their full tensile strength longitudinally of the wall. Of course, these strips may also be modified into a network so as to include portions which extend transversely through the wall as well.

Another form which the joint material may have is shown in Figs. 3 and 4, wherein the same is formed into a flat slab or sheet of a mixture such as light concrete, pumice, cellulose, cellulin, dolomite, superficially deformable or compressible cement,mortar,protoplasm, moss, seaweed, pasteboard impregnated with various substances such as tar, oil, resins, etc., and may have as at 8 in Fig. 3, reinforcing fibers 9 incorporated in its structure, said fibers being selected for tensile strength and preferably consisting of hemp, jute, paper binding cord or twisted paper impregnated with tar, wax, paraffin, oils or resins, etc. to resist moisture, etc., or consisting of WOOd chips, pieces of wood veneer, etc. In Fig. 4, the sheet I0 is similar in composition to sheet 8 of Fig. 3, but its reinforcement ll preferably consists of strips or wires of metal or wire netting. In any case, the reinforcement is selected for its great tensile strength and resistance to shearing and bending, and may even include metal plates or perforated sheets of metal.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the intermediate joint material is formed into a sheet or slab I2 consisting of portions or lengths 13, I3 etc., of compact wood wool, mineral wool or any other of above mentioned materials except metal may be used. Between said compact portions the intermediate portions I4, [4 may be made of similar material of less compact or softer texture in order that the tensile strength will be furnished by the portions I3, l3 and the compressible characteristics in greater measure provided by the inner portions l4, M. The crosspieces or transverse portions l5, l5 of compact material similar to parts l3, l3 may be included in the structure or omitted, as desired. The principle in this form is that certain portions of the sheets or slabs of joint material may be made stronger and others weaker or softer, so that the tensile strength is present longitudinally of a wall and also transversely, if desired, and yet compressibility is included to compensate for the inequalities of the engaged surfaces of the bricks or stones forming the bulk of the Wall.

In the last illustrated form of the invention as shown in Figs. '7 and 8, a grid shaped slab l6 has a generally raised ribbed surface I! and IS on its respective upper and lower surfaces, and is preferably composed of any of the materials previously mentioned as suitable for making a slab or sheet of this nature. Between the high surface portions l1 and i8, the slab is preferably formed with depressions similar to I53, 20, or with grooves or channels, so that the pressure of the load will only restupon the higher surface portions, so that the same will be slightly altered to conform to the irregularities of the bricks above and below the same. In order to impart the requisite tensile strength in the plane of the slab as a whole, various reinforcements such as already mentioned may be resorted to, preferably woven metal wire netting as indicated at 2| or perforated sheet metal.

The slabs or sheets of Figs. 3 to 8 may naturally be of any desired length, and certainly should be several feet or meters long. In any event, the manner of laying the bricks in this invention is first to lay a course of said bricks in the intended location, then a length of joint material such as above described, and upon this a second course of bricks, then a further length of joint material and so on until the desired height of the wall has been attained. It is usually not necessary to introduce the joint material between the ends of the bricks or stones, but

sometimes it is desirable to apply cement or stucco as already mentioned, at 4, 5 in Fig. 1 to the sides of the wall. It is quite feasible then to allow the edges of the joint material 3, 3 to project slightly outside the wall into the stucco.

It will be understood that the term sheet includes material arranged in a practically fiat layer which has great tensile strength lengthwise of the layer and is either a continuous or meshed structure or consists of a plurality of strands arranged longitudinally of said layer. The term reinforced construction is intended to refer to interior reinforcement by inserted members or reinforcement by structural shape and arrangement of parts of the sheet as in Figs. 5 and 6, for example, or merely to the arrangement of the elongated members or strands 6, 6 or Fig. 2, etc.

Manifestly, further modifications and different features than those shown and described may be resorted to, and some features and parts differently combined or used without others.

Having now fully described our invention, we

consisting of asbestos, cellulose derivatives, protoplasm, seaweed, moss and paper impregnated with a moisture-repellent substance, and mixtures including light concrete, superficially compressible cement, dolomite silicious earth and pumice, said sheet of material having a reinforced construction.

2. Intermediate joint material for use between courses of bricks or stones in a dry masonry structure comprising a sheet of fibrous material of the class consisting of hair, skin strips, catgut, asbestos and vegetable fibers of the type including twisted paper, moss, jute, hemp, binding cord' and thin wood, having a predetermined limited 3. Intermediate dry joint material for use between courses of bricks or stones in a dry masonry structure comprising a sheet of inorganic material of the class consisting of. asbestos and mixtures of the type including light concrete, superficially compressible concrete, superficially compressible cement, mortar, pumice, dolomite and silicious earth interiorly reinforced by elongated units of material of great tensile strength, said reinforced sheet material haying at least in portions thereof a limited degree of compressibility under load in order to compensate for surface inequalities of the bricks or stones mainly composing the masonry, said reinforced material having also great tensile strength so as to impart to said masonry a high resistance to buckling, bending, and distortion.

4. Intermediate joint material for use between courses of bricks or stones in a dry masonry structure comprising a sheet of sheet material including organic material of the class consisting of cellulose derivatives, protoplasm, seaweed,

'moss and paper impregnated with a moisture repellant reinforced by inserted elongated units of great tensile strength, said sheet material having a limited degree of compressibility under load in order to compensate for. surface inequalities of the bricks or stones mainly composing the masonry, said material having also great tensile strength so as to impart to said masonry a high resistance to buckling, bending, and distortion. 5. Intermediate joint material for use between courses of bricks or stones in a dry masonry structure comprising a sheet of sheet material having a portion of its area of relatively softer and more compressible character than the remaining portions thereof which are denser, said remaining denser portions having relatively great tensile strength while said softer portion is sufficiently compressible under load to compensate for surface inequalities of the bricks or stones mainly composing the masonry.

6. Intermediate joint material for use between courses of bricks or stories in a dry masonry structure comprising a sheet of generally flat material having certain portions of the area thereof in contact with the bricks or stones making up the courses in the masonry structure and the other portions of its area out of contact with said bricks or stones, said length of material having a limited degree of compressibility under load in order to compensate for surface inequalities of the bricks or stones mainly composing the masonry, said material having also great tensile strength so as to impart to said masonry a high resistance to buckling, bending, and distortion.

'7. Intermediate joint material for dry masonry according to claim 5, wherein the denser portions are disposed lengthwise of the sheet material and the relatively softer and compressible portion is disposed between said denser portions.

8. Intermediate joint material for dry masonry according to claim 5, wherein the denser portions are disposed lengthwise of the sheet material and there are a plurality of softer and more compressible portions alternated with said denser. portions.

9. Intermedi 't'e Joint material for dry masonry according to claim 5, wherein the denser portions are disposed lengthwise of the sheet material and relatively softer and compressible portion is disposed between said denser portions, and wherein crosspieces of similar character to said denser portions run transversely to said sheet material and interconnect the lengths of said denser material and subdivide the softer and more compressible material into a series of areas of limited length.

10. Intermediate joint material for dry masonry according to claim 5, wherein the denser portions are disposed lengthwise of the sheet material and there are a plurality of softer and more compressible portions alternated with said denser portions, and wherein a plurality of crosspiecesof similar character to the lengths of denser material interconnect said lengths transversely of said sheet material and subdivide the portions of relatively softer and more compressible material into series of areas of limited length.

I ll. Intermediate joint material for dry masonry according to claim 6, wherein the portions of the area of the generally flat materialare disposed in substantially the same planes, and the other portions out of contact with the bricks or stones in the courses are depressed below the levels of said planes.

12. Intermediate joint material for dry masonry according to claim 5, wherein the sheet material is reinforced interiorly by means of'metal reinforcements of the class consisting of lengths of wire, wire netting, sheet metal and perforated metal.

13. Intermediate joint material for dry masonry according to claim 6, wherein the sheet material is reinforced interiorly by means of metal reinforcements of the class consisting of lengths of wire, wire netting, sheet metal and perforated metal. 1

ERICH HONIGMANN. FRIEDRICH BRUCKMAYER. 

